This superb disc arrived during Lent and certainly offers balm for the most troubled soul. The musical sequence ranges across nine centuries, from the pared-back beauty of Ave, Generosa by the so-called ‘Sybil of the Rhine’, Hildegard of Bingen, through the Tudor Taverner’s large-scale antiphons, to commissioned pieces by Will Todd (I shall be an angel of peace) and Anna Clyne (Orbits). With the inclusion of three pieces by Arvo Pärt, whose manner curiously echoes the stillness and numinous qualities of Hildegard, the whole programme feels to have come full circle. The album’s intention is to reflect on ‘the power and beauty of poetry in music’, and the programme forms the ensemble’s 2025 Choral Pilgrimage. More than 45 years on from their inception, The Sixteen are as inspiring as ever under the alert direction of Christophers. Warm-tone, exquisite phrasing, and proper attention to the text mark out their singing on this fine CD.

★★★★★